This course is being offered as The 2013 Professor Walter I. Giles Endowed Seminar. A seminar focusing on the intersection of national security and Constitutional law -- particularly separation of powers and civil liberties -- in the post 9/11 era. Working with primary documents, journalistic accounts, and the writings of former government officials, students will learn to think critically about such enduring topics as whether and when the president has the power to lawfully override statutes and to initiate warfare without congressional authorization, as well as military commissions, interrogation policy, surveillance, indefinite detention, government secrecy, and targeted killings. The course will place an emphasis on student preparation for, and active participation in, classroom discussions as well as the development of writing skills.

Charlie Savage is a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter who
writes about the Department of Justice and national security legal
policy.

Michael Davidson is a former Senate Legal Counsel who represented the Senate in separation of powers litigation. Most recently he served as General Counsel of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: GOVT-008

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